1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides improvements to containers and antiseptics for sanitizing an article such as, for example, a brush, a toothbrush, a comb or similar articles.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Several kinds of toothbrush holders or covers are known in the art, including those with tableted, antiseptic out-gassing media such as one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,801, to Vermooten et al.
A number of out-gassing sanitizing or antimicrobial agents which may be used in the antiseptic media generally have a strong herbaceous, antiseptic and/or medicinal vapor which may be unappealing and/or offensive when used for germ-killing applications in the home. Such herbaceous, medicinal or antiseptic aroma typically does not create a soothing environment and may be disadvantageous when the out-gassing antiseptic media is used, for example, as a toothbrush sanitizer.
Conventional methods for reducing or remediating a strong odor or aroma of a sanitizing or antimicrobial agent typically involve blending the agent in a liquid form with other fragrant oils or liquids such as, for example, is done in aromatherapy or perfume production, to produce a blended composition having a generally more pleasing or acceptable aroma. Some out-gassing, antimicrobial agents such as, for example, thyme oil, thymol, eucalyptol, tea tree oil, oregano oil, cedrol, terpineol and anethol, have such a strong odor or aroma that unless the relative percentage of the out-gassing, antimicrobial agent in the blended composition is significantly decreased the strong odor prevails. However, reducing the amount of out-gassing, antimicrobial agent in the blend is generally disadvantageous due to reduced potency or antimicrobial efficacy of the blend as a whole and the increased costs associated with using a larger quantity of the blend to achieve comparable results.
In view of the problems or challenges described above, improvements are desired over the structures and antiseptic media of the known art in order to achieve improved safety, functionality and ease of manufacture for containers of the antiseptic type.